Hua Rong

Hua Rong
Water Margin character
An illustration of Hua Rong by Chen Hongshou.
First appearance Chapter 33
Nickname "Little Li Guang"
小李廣
Rank 9th, Hero Star (天英星) of the 36 Heavenly Spirits
Tiger Cub Vanguard General of Liangshan
Origin Military officer
Ancestral home / Place of origin Qingfeng Fort (in present-day Qingzhou, Shandong)
Weapon Spear; bow and arrows
Names
Simplified Chinese 花荣
Traditional Chinese 花榮
Pinyin Huā Róng
Wade–Giles Hua Jung

Hua Rong is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Little Li Guang", he ranks 9th among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny.

Background

The novel describes Hua Rong as a handsome man with red lips, sparkling white teeth, a narrow waist and broad shoulders. Well known for his archery skill and ability to tame wild horses, he is nicknamed "Little Li Guang" after the Han dynasty general Li Guang. He serves as a military officer in Qingfeng Fort (清風寨; in present-day Qingzhou, Shandong) under Liu Gao, the official in charge of the fort.

On one occasion, after Song Jiang kills Yan Poxi in anger, he flees his hometown in Yuncheng County and comes to Qingfeng Fort to take shelter under his friend Hua Rong. Along the way, Song Jiang befriended the outlaws at the nearby Mount Qingfeng (清風寨) and managed to convince Wang Ying, one of the chiefs, to release a woman he abducted. The woman turns out to be Liu Gao's wife. Later, she encounters Song Jiang in Qingfeng Fort, recognises him and falsely accuses him of abducting and attempting to rape her. Liu Gao believes his wife and orders Song Jiang's arrest and imprisonment. After Liu Gao ignores his request to let Song Jiang off, Hua Rong leads his followers to the prison and frees Song Jiang by force. When Liu Gao's men come to confront him, Hua Rong scares them away with a demonstration of his archery skill.

Battle of Qingfeng Fort

Liu Gao seeks help from Murong Yanda, the governor of Qingzhou (in present-day Shandong), who then sends Huang Xin to Qingfeng Fort to assist Liu Gao in dealing with Hua Rong. Huang Xin first pretends to mediate the conflict between Hua Rong and Liu Gao, and then lures Hua Rong into a trap and captures him and Song Jiang. When Huang Xin and his men are escorting Song Jiang and Hua Rong as prisoners back to Qingzhou, the outlaws from Mount Qingfeng ambush them and save the two captives.

Following Huang Xin's failure, Murong Yanda sends Qin Ming to lead an army to attack the outlaws from Mount Qingfeng. However, Qin Ming ends up being captured and forced to join the outlaws. After Qin Ming convinces Huang Xin to surrender and join the outlaws, the latter assists them by opening Qingfeng Fort's gates and allowing them to enter. The outlaws easily defeat Liu Gao's forces and kill him and his family in revenge. With Song Jiang serving as the matchmaker, Qin Ming marries Hua Rong's younger sister to replace his previous wife who was executed by Murong Yanda after he joined the outlaws.

Life at Liangshan

Hua Rong follows Song Jiang and the others to join the outlaw band at Liangshan Marsh after the battle of Qingfeng Fort. When he first reaches Liangshan, he awes the others with his archery skill by shooting down a targeted wild goose flying in a flock. From then on, he has been involved in numerous battles between the Liangshan outlaws and their enemies such as government forces and hostile private militias. His prowess in archery proves useful on many occasions. For example, he once shoots down a signal lantern used by enemy forces to disrupt their communications and allow the Liangshan outlaws to retreat safely. During the battle of Gaotangzhou, he kills an enemy officer with a single arrow shot. After the Grand Assembly of the 108 Stars of Destiny, he becomes one of the Eight Tiger Cub Vanguard Generals of the Liangshan cavalry.

Death

After the Liangshan outlaws received amnesty from Emperor Huizong, Hua Rong follows them on their campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces on Song territory. He is one of the few Liangshan heroes who survive all the campaigns. As a reward for Hua Rong's contributions and service to the Song Empire, Emperor Huizong grants him a military appointment.

When Hua Rong learns that the corrupt officials have forced Song Jiang and Li Kui to take their own lives by consuming poison, he travels to Chuzhou (楚州; in present-day Huai'an, Jiangsu) and finds Wu Yong there. Both of them commit suicide by hanging themselves from a tree beside Song Jiang and Li Kui's graves.

References

  • Buck, Pearl S. (2006). All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell. ISBN 9781559213035.
  • Ichisada, Miyazaki (1993). Suikoden: Kyoko no naka no Shijitsu (in Japanese). Chuo Koronsha. ISBN 978-4122020559.
  • Keffer, David. "Outlaws of the Marsh: A Somewhat Less Than Critical Commentary". Poison Pie Publishing House. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  • Li, Mengxia (1992). 108 Heroes from the Water Margin (in Chinese). EPB Publishers. p. 19. ISBN 9971-0-0252-3.
  • Miyamoto, Yoko (2011). "Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits". Demystifying Confucianism. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  • Shibusawa, Kou (1989), Bandit Kings of Ancient China, Koei, pp. 90–91, 93
  • Zhang, Lin Ching (2009). Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House. ISBN 978-7506344784.
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